Forbidden Fruit: Persephone's Story
by Lady Fael
Summary: The old stories say Persephone was taken against her will by Hades. They use the word 'abducted'. But what if it hadn't happened that way? What if the truth was the opposite of what the old myths claimed? [Finished]
1. Don't Call Me Kore!

Forbidden Fruit

To all those who've ever whispered the story of how Hades stole me away and I begged, pleaded, to go back to the surface to be with my mother, how he tricked me and forced me into a marriage, there is something I must tell you: You were wrong. Now listen to my story as it really is and retell it, tell the story of Hades and Persephone the right way. Tell the truth, please. Read the truth; read my story. (Oh, and don't call me Kore, please!)

(…)

'Kore, are you there, love?' my mother's melodious voice chimed from somewhere a few paces away. I huddled farther inside the rose bush, ignoring the thorns that pierced my delicate skin and tried to ignore _her_ as she continued to call out to me. 'Kore? Love? Yoo-hoo!' I didn't want to come out of the bush. I didn't want to confront her. She could be so annoying sometimes, that mother of mine.

As she passed by the bush I was hiding in, her tread light and care-free, the roses around me burst into full-bloom and the thorns disappeared. One of the rose petals tickled my nose, but I knew that I couldn't move to stop the annoying sensation, as the bush would move with me, my mother would see me, and my hiding place would be revealed to her. But I couldn't bear the tickling any longer, and neither could my nose. It wrinkled of its own free will and, hard as I tried to suppress it, to stifle it, a sneeze erupted. Oh, bother.

The whole bush trembled and I was certain my mother had seen, certain she would be upon me in a moment, fussing, fixing my hair, cooing over the little scratches I'd acquired. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed o the gods she wouldn't find me. But, feeling stupid, I reproached myself; what use what would praying to the gods help? I was a god. A goddess, rather. And so I waited, huddled in the bush, for Demeter to swoop down on me…

'Kore? Was that you? Oh, dear, are you hiding in that bush? Tut-tut, love, come out now and let me fix your hair, sweetie.' Oh no, she'd found me. I wriggled deeper into the bush but knew it was no use. She had seen me and she'd drag me out of my sanctuary if she had to. I would come out with some dignity, I decided as I raised myself and faced her, standing in the middle of a rose bush.

Demeter's eyes were a shocking, warm shade of blue, her hair golden curls that bounced as she moved, her features porcelain in all ways and yet her cheeks flushed a delightful pink. The sight disgusted me. 'Hello mother,' I greeted her, trying to sum up some more enthusiasm. She turned to face me and smiled her perfect smile. Her supposed-to-warm-your-heart smile. I nearly scowled at her but stopped myself. 'You know I hate it when you call me Kore,' I reproached her, dusting off the leaves and thorns that stuck to me. 'Or dear, or love, or sweetie…'

'I didn't know, my love, but I'll stop. I love you so much!' and she threw herself at me. I was forced to catch her in my arms, though I wanted to drop her. I wanted to run a dirt-smeared finger down her perfect, crisp-white tunic, smear it with filth. I wanted to take away that infuriating perfect-ness. I reminded myself quickly that Demeter was my mother. She'd raised me. She loved me. I had to respect her more. And besides, she couldn't help the way she looked any more than I could.

I was not as beautiful as my mother. My rust-colored curls didn't shine like hers. In some places they appeared darker, almost brown, and in some lighter, almost blonde. My cheeks weren't pink like hers and I had a few freckles dusting the area around my nose. My eyes were blue, but not shocking like hers and nearly turquoise. I was petite as well, but I was skinny. And I was so, so short. I hated that. Why couldn't I be tall and imposing like Zeus? Or tall and slim like Athena? Or tall and beautiful like Aphrodite? But I was who I was. No one could change that.

'Kore, do you want to come pick flowers with me?' my mother asked, shamelessly using the name I'd asked her to abandon. I shook my head quickly, indicating a clear no. 'Ok then, let's go!' Demeter called out, tugging on my hand, as though she hadn't heard, or rather seen, my plain-as-day refusal. Groaning, I shook my hand and freed myself from her grip and then followed her, not wanting to at all.

Demeter leaned over in her favorite clearing and began plucking some purple flowers from their places in the dirt. As she did, new ones grew in their place almost immediately. I sat down in the grass and watched, scowling, my boredom etched onto my face. Suddenly, I could hear and feel a small rumbling beneath me. Surprised, I checked to see if my mother had heard or felt it, but she was farther away now, singing loudly to herself as she pulled up bunches of pink flowers several paces away. Curious, I walked over to where I thought the noise came from.

The ground suddenly opened up, quite silently actually, and out stepped a dark, mysterious, _tall _man wearing a fluttering, impressive cape and black clothes. I stared at him in astonishment from where I sat on the ground. When he looked at me, his stern gaze suddenly softened and I saw something unfamiliar twinkling in his dark eyes. And yet I wasn't afraid.

'Hello,' I greeted him, getting to my feet and noticing I reached up to his shoulders only. 'I'm Persephone. Who are you?' I was feeling, for some reason, brave, but also as though I was being spurred on by something.

The man seemed amused. 'I know. You're Kore. And I'm Hades.'

I wasn't even surprised to hear his name uttered. 'Don't call me Kore,' I snapped at him, angrily pulling up a red flower and scattering dirt particles all over the place. Hades chuckled and took the flower from me.

'For me? Why, thank you…Kore.' I scowled at him, my most chilling scowl, but I could see he found it amusing, which was the opposite of what I wanted him to feel when faced with that scowl. And suddenly I didn't feel like scowling anymore. I felt like smiling a radiant smile, the way my mother did.

Hades bent down and plucked a yellow flower, then handed it to me with one hand behind his back, bowing low. 'For you, beautiful little flower.' I blushed, and then gazed at him in astonishment. I wasn't beautiful. But he was calling me beautiful. I accepted the flower happily, putting my nose to the core and inhaling the wonderful smell. Yellow was my favorite color. How did this wonderful man know that?

'Thank you,' I said honestly, all traces of reproach gone. Hades smiled at me and I had the fleeting thought that he was quite handsome, even though some other people may have considered him dark, cold, cruel. Really he was tender and affectionate…but, unlike my mother, I reveled in the love I could feel pulsing from him. Was it love for me?

Hades held out one hand to me and asked, 'Would you like to come with me to see my Kingdom, Persephone?' I smiled at him and nodded vigorously. Hades took me in his arms while I looked on in shock as the ground opened beneath us and we were swallowed by it. Where was he taking me? But I didn't feel like fighting him, struggling in his grasp, trying to get free or calling for help. No, I felt safe in his arms. I wanted to stay there. And I wasn't afraid of where he was bringing me, even if his destination was the Realms of the Dead themselves. Though that was unlikely.


	2. Interior Designer

Forbidden Fruit

**A/N: Note that I imagine Charon with a Scottish accent.  
**

'Hades, where exactly are we going?' I asked him a little uneasily as we descended, down, down, into the darkness, the impenetrable darkness. I did trust him, but I was a realistic type of person and I liked to know where strange men in black cloaks and a mysterious air were bringing me. That kind of thing was a little more than a minor detail.

'To my Kingdome, like I told you already,' he reminded me gently as my skirts billowed around my ankles and his feet hit something solid, mine following soon after. Hades held onto my hand as though he were the one who needed support, pulling me after him toward who-knew-where. All I could see was darkness to the north, darkness to the south, darkness to the east and darkness to the west. Not to mention all the 'north-east's, and 'south-west's and etc. etc. etc. They were all shrouded in darkness too, in case you were wondering.

Finally he stopped and I imitated him, as he seemed to know his way around this dreary place. A draft tickled my skin and I shivered. Hades noticed and took off his cloak, politely draping it over my shoulders. I smiled at him in thanks and followed, this time not holding onto his hand, as he descended into a boat rocking lightly on water below that I hadn't seen before.

'So Charon, how's business?' he inquired politely, addressing an old, haggard man with a beard that draped over his knees and probably his ankles too. The man, Charon, was rowing the boat for us. I took an immediate dislike to him no matter the friendly tone in which Hades addressed him.

'Wall, ya know. No slowa no fasta. Same ol' same ol'.' It must have been hard for the old man to talk too much, as I noticed immediately that he was missing nearly all his teeth, and those that remained were made of gold, looking more like lumps than teeth. I smiled weakly at him when he looked at me curiously. 'An' who's this young lass?' he asked Hades, his bony arms rowing all the while without cease.

'My br-…my guest,' Hades told him smoothly after his little falter. Charon winked at him and then was silent the rest of our journey.

Finally we stepped out of the rickety old boat and onto dry land, Charon staying behind and Hades chivalrously giving me a hand as I got out of the boat. 'Thank you,' I murmured to him, my eyes focused on where I was stepping. When I looked up I could see a dog of enormous size, drooling and looking at me out of mean, beady eyes, fangs long and dripping. Oh yeah, and it had three heads.

Panicking, I grabbed Hades hand but he only looked at me with amusement flitting through his eyes. When he looked away from me he turned his eyes to the three-headed-dog, still smiling. From his pocket he produced a large stick and waved it tantalizingly in front of the dog. Or dogs. Or whatever. 'Cerberos, catch?' he crooned to the thing. Or things. The dog/dogs drooled some more and then launched itself/themselves at the stick that Hades had thrown, running away from us and thus letting us pass.

'What was that thing?' I asked Hades curiously once we were safely past the dog/dogs lair.

'That was Cerberos. He's a wimp really. Just there to look threatening, you know,' Hades told me smoothly and yet bluntly. I nodded as though I understood.

My eyes were lowered for a while as there was nothing to see but blackness. Then Hades stopped. When I brought them up I gasped at what was laid out before me: a black palace in the distance. Fields of green grass where many people frolicked and gossiped, large marble and gold tables laden with various delicacies: pastries stuffed with nut pastes and fruity jams, breads with raisins and nuts encrusted inside them, sweet cakes made of poppies, nuts, fruits, sugar. Then there was the chicken meat, roasted to golden perfection. The pork soaked in pure olive-oil. The duck, the lamb, the sheep, the rabbit…and then there were the olives. Olives in bowls with nuts and vegetables. Olive oil for dipping. Olive bread. Olive salad. Olives, olives, olives. But beyond that were fields of black, charred grass and hills. On one of these hills a figure pushed a boulder up to the top only to have it fall again. A man with drool dripping down his chin watched the tables with the food hungrily, but I knew he could not get to them. And so there were bad things as well as good in this place, Hades' Kingdom.

And, best of all…there were no flowers.

Hades turned to me and I turned to him when I was done soaking in this strange new place. 'Do you like it?' he inquired with some concern in his voice, taking my hand in his, his black eyes boring into mine. I gulped.

'Where are we?' I asked him simply, a question for a question. I wanted to know.

'We are in my King-' Hades began. But I interrupted him.

'Yes, I know, your Kingdome. But what is your Kingdome, Hades?' I wanted to know and I wanted to know now.

Hades looked somber. 'These, my dearest, are the realms of the dead,' he told me truthfully, his eyes clouded over. I think he suspected I would run back to the surface, back to my perfect mother and all those suffocating flowers. Shades of pink and baby blue, bright yellows and crimson reds…nonononono.

'Oh, that's nice,' I answered blankly, an innocent expression on my face as I gazed at the people being tortured. Hades smiled dazzlingly at me, happy that I wasn't planning on running back. I wasn't that much of a baby. He led me past the food, past the charred fields, and to the black palace.

'This is my palace, Persephone, the palace of Death' he told me quietly, pointing to the black marble turrets, the pointed fences surrounding it, the somber appearance. It was more a shadow of a castle. But it didn't matter; I loved it.

'Lovely,' I told him, and my words were greeted with another smile on his part. He led me through the large marble doors and into the palace, which was, unsurprisingly, black. It was alright, though quite boring. I told him so. 'Hades, this place, the idea of this place, is beautiful. But it's quite boring in reality. The inside I mean. What you need is an interior designer…'

Hades looked amused. 'Well, none of the dead people were very willing to help me furnish my home, you see. Do you happen to be an interior designer then? That might be handy.'

I smiled at him and kept up the illusion. 'Well, I was studying to be one, but then my learning got interrupted by a certain figure in black who came to abduct me. But I think I might help this sad place a bit. Yes, I'll play the part of an interior designer. Just for you.'

I said it playfully, but obviously Hades took my words to heart. Leaning in slowly, he pressed his lips to mine.

They weren't cold. They were warm and welcoming and nice and I loved the feeling of his rather gray lips against mine. He brushed my reddish locks away from my face gently and murmured something I didn't catch. After a while I realized I was pressed to him and slowly, gently, unwillingly, we pulled apart.

'That was nice. Let's do it again sometime,' I told him bluntly, grinning up at him. He was so much taller!

'It was nice,' he agreed, his eyes sparkling and dancing. '_Very _nice. We should definitely do it again some time…Kore.'

I ignored that rather unnecessary comment and walked up to one of the two cold black thrones. 'To start with, I really think you should paint these silver. It would make them stand out in all this blackness, and it would make them look more majestic, more regal, don't you think? And you should hand a garland of crimson-red flowers above each. That would be nice, even though I don't love flowers. It would be a very decisive touch. Now these walls should have very faint, curly designs on them in a lighter shade of black. They should be truly visible only if you're up close. And this pointy-spear-thing? Nuh-uh. Has to go. Now, I think that those portraits…'

It went on and on. At one point, Hades stopped my rambling and his jotting down and leaned in to kiss me again. 'Whatever you say, Persephone,' he whispered in my ear. I blushed, though I felt stupid when I did it, and I had to admit to myself that I loved all this. Loved all this? I loved him. Loved Hades, the god of death. Boy, my mother sure would be angry when she found out that I wasn't planning on tending to those dumb flowers all my life.


	3. My Life, My Existence

Forbidden Fruit

'Hades, do you like your job?' I asked him when we were done re-decorating the palace the way I liked it. We were sitting on the now silver thrones with the red garlands above them, Hades fashioning a crown for me out of silver, studded with black jewels. I had to admit to myself that I much preferred the somber colors of gray, black, silver, white and occasionally crimson red to the diverse selection that those earthly flowers came in. Everything was so much more…straightforward here. It did seem a little gloomy, with all those dead people, but Hades brightened it and inside the palace nothing could touch me.

'Hmm?' he mumbled, his eyes intent on the crown he was fashioning and his hands working away busily. I knew he could have just summoned one of his numerous servants to do it for him or found a silversmith out of the dead in the Elysian Fields, but he wanted to make the crown himself so I could wear it and think of him. I smiled, my dangling legs banging against the front of the throne rhythmically as I watched him work.

'I said, do you like your job?' I repeated, pretending to be exasperated but really not finding myself able to feel anything other than a rapidly waxing happiness, sitting so close to Hades. He was the lord of the dead and yet I felt the most alive around him. Strange.

Hades looked up from his work and his dark, depthless eyes met mine. His blood-red lips curled into a smile and his head full of black hair leaned to one side, his dark-skinned hands pausing and letting the crown drop into his lap. 'What was that, Seph?' he asked me teasingly, fully aware that I had asked him the same question twice already. But really, I didn't think he'd heard.

'Do you like your job, Hades?' I asked him for the third time, looking around the throne-room where we sat with interest, my blue-eyes taking in everything. The silver-threaded tapestries depicting different heroic scenes from the old myths like the twelve labors of Heracles, the slaying of Medusa and the liberation of the twelve Athenian youths from the Minotaur hanging on the black walls, which were decorated with interesting spirals in a shade only slightly lighter than that of the rest of the walls, the silver chandelier, with its raindrop-like ornaments hanging down and chinking lightly in the slight breeze that came in through the red-rimmed windows to the left and right of the huge, silver-marble door which was firmly closed. I could see my reflection in a large, rectangular and stretched-out silver, red-rimmed mirror parallel to the thrones. Did Hades like all this?

'My job?' he mused, his eyes locked onto my face intently as though it were beautiful or something, though to him it probably was. What could he possibly see in me anyway? I was so imperfect, so short, so young. My blue eyes were not appealing in the least, I knew, my red-brown curls which sometimes shone in the sunlight that didn't exist here were nothing to swoon over, and my pale, freckled face was not lovely. But to him, he who was in love with me, I was beautiful. The thought warmed me as none other could. Beautiful. Me. Persephone. Beautiful.

'Yes, your job, Hades,' I reminded him as his face moved slowly closer to mine and his dark eyes filled with love. I felt like I was melting. But I wanted this question answered and wouldn't give up. Perhaps I had many bad qualities, like my inability to adore my mother and my passionate hate of all that 'beauty' up on the surface that my mother lived for, but one thing no one could deny was that I was stubborn. I rejoiced in a challenge and I would always persevere. Mind you, that didn't mean I was patient.

'What do you mean by "my job"?' Hades inquired, his eyes half closed and his voice barely more than a murmur. Amused, I rapped my knuckles against his forehead to stop his approach and he sat back in his throne with a humph. I grinned at him mischievously as he pretended to pout. I knew he wouldn't pout for long. And I knew nothing I did could dissuade his love for me. What comforting knowledge! I could just be, I could just act like…me. And he would like it!

'Your job, your job, your job, Hades! Do you like being here, in the Underworld, the realm of the dead, all the time? Do you like supervising the installment of torture for someone who deserves it? Do you like to tend to the dead? Do you like your palace, your life, your existence?' This time he could not ignore me, passionately as I had repeated the question for the fifth time.

Hades looked at me thoughtfully, his arms, clad in long black sleeves, resting peacefully in his lap, encircling the crown he was crafting precisely for me protectively. 'No. I didn't. It wasn't enough and I didn't appreciate my life, my existence as you say. But when I found you…Yes. I do, I do appreciate my life and existence, all because of _your _life and existence, Persephone, Kore. You _are_ my life, my existence. What would I do without you?' This time, when he leaned in to kiss me I let him, and I returned it just as gratefully as he gave it.

(…)

'Kore? Love? Sweet? Flower? Daffodil? Tulip? Rose? Are you there, dearest?' the melodious voice rang out in the clearing. A youthful woman with golden curls and melting-blue eyes walked delicately through row upon row of rippling, colorful flowers in full bloom, clutching a bouquet to her large chest and calling out in a singsong voice, her tread a dance. It was no wonder everyone revered her, Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. And she rejoiced in their reverence. Demeter was a happy, carefree Goddess. Most of the time.

'Oh, Kore, come on, come out! I picked a bouquet of purple-and-blue flowers, your favorites! Oh, wait; are the red-and-white ones your favorites? Or the yellow-and-green ones? Kore, come out come out wherever you are!' Demeter kept going through the field of varied flowers until she found herself at the end. Looking back, the Goddess realized that her beloved daughter was not in the field. 'Drat, where could the girl be?' Demeter muttered to herself, threading one of the pink flowers through her golden hair and fashioning an elaborate flower-crown out of the rest as she walked on. 'Persephone, if you do not come out this moment…!' she threatened weakly, finally reaching the little cottage where she and her daughter stayed. Persephone was clearly not there.

Demeter went on to look through the rest of the fields surrounding their cottage and came back with nothing. Her distress beginning to rise alarmingly, she went past the blooming fields, and, dressing herself as an old lady, began to question the farmers whether they had seen a girl of Persephone's description. No, was their constant answer.

Truly worried now and beginning to verge on frantic, Demeter took a carriage pulled by beautiful white doves to Olympus. Entering the throne-room she cast off her disguise and confronted Zeus, her beautiful features stretched taut with worry. 'Zeus, it seems your daughter has gone missing! I cannot find her anywhere!' she cried out to the king of the gods, her voice shrill and frantic.

Zeus, lounging in a care-free manner on his golden throne, hurled one of his famous thunderbolts at the opposite wall and smiled when it hit the intended target. 'My aim has gotten no worse over the years!' he declared to no one in particular. And then he turned his gaze to Demeter. 'What did you say, dear? That one of my daughters is missing? Oh dear, which one?'

Zeus didn't seem concerned in the least.

'She is my daughter too; Persephone, dearest Kore, is missing! Missing! You must do something, Zeus, you must find her!' Demeter was truly distressed; her hands on her curls as though ready to tear them out, she glared at Zeus with imploring blue eyes, and then dropped to her knees pleadingly. 'Please! Kore is my life, my existence! What will I do without her?'

'Now now, Demeter, no need to get frantic. I'm sure she'll turn up sometime, somewhere. Why, just last week Athena started getting nervous when she thought Nike had gone missing, and then we found her stuck in a vase! (She was perfectly fine, no need to fret.) Imagine! I'm sure your daughter will turn up. Just relax, take a cup of mint tea…that helped Athena, I dare say. Now be on your way, Demeter. I have some more target-practice to do, and then Poseidon's taking me to those marvelous hot-springs he discovered…'

Zeus was clearly not going to help. Anxious and worried, Demeter left the throne-room on Olympus, deciding that she would not help the farmers grow their crops, would send pestilence and draught on their fields, until her daughter was found and returned.


	4. Forbidden Fruit

Forbidden Fruit

**Note of Desperation: I'm really glad to see that many people have added this story to their Favorites or to their Alerts. However, it would be so much more helpful if they would review instead! It's not that hard. Just drop me a note telling me what you thought of this. It doesn't have to be long! Please review.**

'Kore, would you like a tour of my kingdom?' Hades asked me casually. We were both sitting on the floor of the bedroom he'd arranged to be mine. The walls were light blue with patterns of clouds all over them as though they were the sky, surrounding me. The tiles on the floor were the green of grass. The bed was luxurious, silver, and there were two chairs for me to sit and read on. There was a dresser for the clothes which Hades had started to bring in for me, a desk for writing, and a wall covered in bookshelves. It was wonderful, and I loved it. Currently, Hades was making a crown of flowers for me, the third, and these flowers were crimson. I was wearing the silver crown he'd made with pride while I watched him work on the third one. I had told him he didn't need to pile me with crowns, but he'd just smiled and insisted that he liked to.

'Don't call me Kore,' was my immediate, mumbled reaction. He grinned when he looked up at me and I couldn't possibly be angry. I smiled back and continued toying with the yellow flower in my hands, the stickiness inside the stem spilling out onto my fingers.

'Why not? Why don't you like it when anyone calls you Kore anyway?' Hades asked playfully, reaching out to play with a lock of my hair. I jerked teasingly out of his reach and stuck out my tongue at him mockingly.

'Because my mother calls me Kore,' was my answer. 'And I tend to dislike everything my mother does. Have you noticed?' Hades grinned and inched closer to grab a strand of my hair again. I shuffled away. He shuffled closer. I stayed still, exasperated, and let him toy with the lock of hair.

His expression was triumphant; he knew he could dominate me. And I didn't mind that. 'Alright,' Hades mumbled, though I knew he hadn't really been paying attention. 'So, do you want me to tell you a story?'

My first impression was that I was three again, he was my mother, we were sitting by a roaring fireplace and I was begging for a story. I smiled, and I could tell he had the same images in his head. 'A story,' I repeated, thoughtfully. 'Alright. About what? Hercules? Perseus? Theseus? Oh, wait, maybe it will be a story of your own heroic deeds, though I cannot imagine you doing anything heroic.' I stuck out my tongue and shuffled away.

Hades moved closer, flower crown abandoned. 'Oh, you can't imagine me doing anything heroic, can you, you insolent little vixen? Well then, let's see if this doesn't awe you!' And he proceeded to tell me the story of how he and his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, defeated the Titans. He was almost at the part where he created Tartarus when a messenger burst into the room.

(…)

It didn't take too long to find out who had taken her dearest daughter. Demeter soon got to a swine-herder who, with frightened, wide eyes, reported that he'd seen the lord of the dead, Hades himself, carrying a girl with rusty, almost golden locks and blue eyes with him down to the Underworld through a hole in the ground. He added that several of his pigs had fallen into the hole with them, though Demeter knew it was his artful exaggeration so that he would be included in the tale. Demeter let out a wail like no other and rushed to Zeus to report what she'd been told by the swine-herder.

'And I'm sure she is unhappy! She has been kidnapped, brother, kidnapped! Our daughter has been kidnapped by the lord of the dead, Hades, master of the Underworld, and I am sure she is unhappy! Unhappy, my daughter, your dear, dear, daughter, unhappy! Not for the world! Oh, brother, oh, Zeus, help me, help her! You see that she has not been lost but kidnapped!'

'Hush, hysterical woman!' Zeus cried out, exasperated. 'I heard you!'

'I will not let the crops grow until you get her back to me, my dear, dear baby, my dear, dear Kore, dearest, love, sweet, kidnapped! Kidnapped! Oh, unhappy, unhappy day, unhappy Kore, unhappy-'

'_Hush_!' Zeus cried, standing up and nearly knocking over his huge throne. He glared at Demeter in anger. 'I will send a messenger to ask our brother if it's true and send him to me. Now hush, sister! Please!'

Demeter went back to her little cottage satisfied; she was sure that she would have her daughter back before long.

(…)

'Sir,' the messenger called out formally, his tunic dusty and ripped in some places, his blond hair curiously gray and tussled. By the look of him he'd traveled all the way from the surface! He couldn't be happy to be in the realm of the dead. Whoever had sent him must pay him well. The messenger bowed low and then said, 'Sir, Zeus sends me to tell you that Lady Demeter is on strike; she is killing all the crops and refuses to help out the farmers or answer their prayers. She says her daughter has been kidnapped and will not stop this tyrannical behavior until her 'dearest, sweetest, loved daughter' is returned to her.'

A cold feeling of dread was building in my stomach as I listened to the messenger, and I wanted to retch. My mother. Oh, my vile mother! That she should ruin my happiness now was typical. I wanted to break down and cry, or tell the messenger to go back and bury my mother in Tartarus, but suddenly I felt Hades arms around me, his breath on the back of my neck, and I was reassured. He was stronger than my mother, and he would protect me.

'Love, do you wish to go back to the surface?' he asked me gently, letting me go and studying my face intently. I shook my head vigorously.

'No! No, I do not want to go back to my mother! Let me stay here, please.' Hades saw the wild look in my eyes and enveloped me again.

'Hush. You don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to,' Hades told me softly. And then to the messenger he said, 'There. You have heard her. Tell Demeter that I have not kidnapped her daughter, but that her daughter has come with me willingly and wishes to stay. Now be off!' The messenger, however, shook his head, looking a little frightened.

'Sir, I shall tell her, sir, but Zeus requests that you come with me to the surface to see him, sir. Please, sir, you must come, sir.' Whether it was all the 'sir's or the desperation in the messenger's tone, Hades agreed to go with him.

'I'll be back as soon as I can, Persephone,' he told me gently. 'Don't worry. I will.' And then he left.

I was lonely, alone, and despairing. I thought that perhaps that tour of the kingdom that Hades had offered may do me good, and so I set off myself, leaving the palace to go around and look through the Elysian Fields. I wasn't particularly hungry, and so when I saw the table laden with decadent food, I wasn't too tempted. I went on and got to a lovely garden. It was much nicer than anything on the surface, and I found myself admiring it. There were a few flowers that I took a liking to, and many roses. There were also magnificent trees and other enticing plants, as well as ripened fruit trees, which delighted me. Picking up the hem of my tunic so that it didn't rip, I leaped to the first branch of a sturdy pomegranate tree and held on tightly, then made my way to the top of the beautiful tree.

From my perch at the top of the tree, I surveyed the Elysian Fields in wonder. The greenest grass I had ever seen rippled into hills, or just stayed flat, and there were many trees, flowers, and plants like the ones right below me waving in a slight, cooling breeze. There was no sun, and yet it was warm. I watched hordes of people moving around among the grass, caught snatches of a few conversations, and forgot entirely that these were the dead, because they were by no means somber or gloomy. They looked as happy, peaceful, calm and rested as I felt here, in Hades kingdom. And I made my decision never to leave. I liked it here too much.

When I was done admiring, I reached out and grabbed a crimson pomegranate dangling on a branch next to me and split it open. Careful not to let the sweet, enticing juices leak out onto my tunic and stain it, I reached two fingers into the fruit and extracted a single blood-red seed, put it into my mouth, and swallowed. I reached in to take another one of the delicious seeds when I heard a harsh, worried voice call out from beneath me.

'Miss?' a man's shrill voice called. I rustled a few leaves to show him I was here. 'I know you're not one of the dead. Just wanted to warn you that if you so much as nibble any food you see here, you'll be doomed to stay in the realm of the dead forever.' I listened for the man's retreating footsteps, then let the split-open pomegranate fall to the grass and placed my red hands in my lap, not caring if I stained the tunic. I tried to repress the rising dread building in my chest and stop my shaking hands.

_What had I done? _I thought I wanted to stay here forever just glorious moments before, with Hades, in this beautiful realm, and spend the rest of eternity in peace and solitude. But now that it was done, now that the choice had been taken from me, I realized that being confined here, in the Underworld, for eternity was a frightfully long time. I would never be able to see the sun again, the moon, the real grass, flowers, wind. And I would never see my mother again. I realized this with a pang, and for the first time I admitted to myself that I did love my mother in my own strange way. And never seeing her again would be hard.

_What had I done?_

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	5. The God of Reason

Forbidden Fruit

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I had dropped the pomegranate a long time ago and was still sitting in the tree, my hands stained blood-red, and couldn't help thinking of the juice spilled all over me as my blood. I listened to the nonexistent rustle of leaves because there was no breeze. I looked at the nonexistent flowers because this was the Underworld and all plants were artificial. I felt the nonexistent warmth of sunbeams on my skin because there was no sun. I tasted the nonexistent taste of pomegranate, because the food of the Underworld really has no taste, in the end. And I thought I would go mad. Stay here for the rest of eternity? My love for Hades wasn't enough to make me able to endure that. And all of a sudden I hated this place, the artificialness of it all.

A sudden cry of joy rang out across the Elysian Fields and I, surprised, nearly dropped out of the tree. It couldn't be one of the dead because the dead were very silent, never speaking louder than a whisper. So who was it? Everyone here apart from myself and Hades were dead. And I doubted, even, that I was not dead. I could very well be dead. Somewhere during the journey here, did Hades kill me to make sure that I stayed with him forever? As soon as the thought occurred to me I felt ashamed and stupid and began to berate myself. Hades would never do that, he loved me; if I wasn't willing to stay with him he wouldn't force me. And I couldn't die, I was a Goddess!

'Persephone!' the all-too-familiar voice yelled, and, shocked, this time I really did drop out of the tree, falling and landing in the grass below with a painful thump. 'Oh, my daughter, my dear, my Kore!' my mother shrieked as she ran toward me. Here she was. I was seeing her, unless she was a figment of my imagination, and all previous longing to see her disappeared. _Go away, Mother, this is the Kingdom I share with Hades! You have no right to be here!_

I watched helplessly as she approached and threw herself at me. When she saw my stained garment and the position I was currently in, she let out a shriek. 'Oh! Oh, daughter, are you hurt?' she inquired, gasping as she saw the red stains. 'Is that...blood? Hades, brother, what have you done to her!'

'No, Mother, it's not blood. It's the juice of a pomegranate.' I looked over at Hades, standing half-concealed behind one of the trees, an apologetic look on his face, as though saying sorry for not being able to keep my mother away. When I mentioned that it was pomegranate juice, his look slipped into surprise, understanding, and then horror. He knew. We shared the secret.

'Oh! Was it a good pomegranate?' my Mother asked cheerfully, happy that I was OK. 'I would like to taste it if it is. I love fruits! I love all plants.' She looked expectant and bouncy. I swallowed, afraid to tell her the truth; that she shouldn't eat the pomegranate if she wanted to be able to stay on the surface.

Hades saved me the pain, stepping forward. 'Demeter, if you eat some of the food from my Realm, you'd have to stay here forever.' She looked surprised, and then relieved that she didn't eat the fruit.

'Well, it's good that I didn't eat it then!' she announced with a nervous laugh. But she didn't seem to realize that I'd eaten it already. She looked as though she was ready to do a few twirls, jump up and down…she was so happy. And I realized that with her, I was not happy. But with Hades…

And then I knew what I had to do, what I had to say. 'Mother, I ate a pomegranate seed,' I told her quietly, looking at Hades while I talked. She froze, and then slowly turned her head toward me.

'No,' my mother whispered. She looked at me with such horror that I knew I couldn't leave her for Hades. It would be too cruel, no matter how much I loved the dark god. I just couldn't leave my mother like that. I was her source of happiness. I was what made her happy. And Hades was mine. What a dilemma.

'No, my daughter, you can't be locked up in here forever with awful Hades! No!' My mother cried, seizing me in her arms and holding me close. 'Don't worry, lovely, I'll get you out of this,' she whispered desperately, turning to face Hades with rage in her eyes. 'You! You kidnapped her and then tricked her into eating the seeds! You bastard! How could you!' she yelled, loudly. I was embarrassed on her account, but understood where all the anger came from, as misdirected as it was.

'Mother, Hades didn't kidnap me,' I told her gently, knowing that what I had to say would hurt her. 'I went with him voluntarily. Because I wanted to.' I paused and she took the opportunity to fill in my story with one of her own.

'But now you realize what a mistake that was,' she put in, voicing her wishes, her hopes, her desires. I shook my head, tears streaming down my face.

'No. I don't think it was a mistake. I love him. I love Hades, Mother,' I told her, sobbing. She stared at me, shocked and looking a little disgusted.

'Love? Love Hades? Has Eros shot you with his arrow? Oh, unhappy day! That little son-of-a-dog Eros has taken you from me! My daughter! Seized by Eros! No! No! I shall have you back! I shall save you from this fate!' She was desperate, and I forgave all her cruel words.

'No, Eros didn't shoot me. I really do love Hades, Mother, and I won't go back without him. I love him…the way you love Zeus.' I was gazing absently at Hades and sometimes at my mother, and he looked surprised but overjoyed when I declared my love for him before my obstinate mother.

She froze, surprised. 'I don't love Zeus, daughter, dearest,' she whispered, honestly, tears streaming down her face now too. 'I didn't love him at all. But it was his whim…it was a mistake, that you were born, Kore. He…I didn't want him to…but it happened. Only don't think I don't love you! I do! Oh, so much!'

I was surprised that my mother hadn't loved Zeus and he'd forced her into it. Was that why she had such a violent reaction to me and Hades? 'Mother, I'm sure that loving Hades is not a mistake. Eating the pomegranate was, but…'

She was sobbing openly, while I was drying my tears, though they kept coming. Hades looked melancholy as well, torn. It was at that moment, the right moment, that he came.

I felt a warm presence next to me and turned, surprised. What I saw surprised me further; it was a young man who seemed to be shining from his own internal light. He wore a circlet of laurel leaves around his forehead, had beautiful blond locks, and was full of light and warmth. He was laughing, happy for eternity. I gasped. 'Who…?' I asked him, rather pathetically. He just laughed at me.

Leaning in, the God whispered, 'I'm Apollo, sweet. God of light, music, prophecy, healing, and reason. Useful, aren't I?' He winked at me flirtatiously and then turned to face Hades and Demeter. 'So, what seems to be the problem?' Apollo asked.

'Well…Demeter wants her daughter back, but Persephone can't go back because she ate some of the food of the Underworld. You know the rule. That's our dilemma, Apollo.' Apollo looked at us thoughtfully.

'Then why don't you just make an exception to the rule, Oh Uncle of Mine?' Apollo pointed out good-naturedly. Hades looked surprised, as though this hadn't occurred to him.

'But I don't want to go back with my mother forever, or stay here forever. You see, I love Hades, but I also love Demeter,' I explained to him quietly. Apollo raised his sunny eyebrows, and then another idea seemed to occur to him.

'Well then, spend half the year with Demeter and half the year with your beloved Hades!' he proposed reasonably, even as he started to fade away, leaving behind him a sweet smell, the distant sound of music, and light.

I was astonished to realize that the God was absolutely right. It was the solution. Demeter's face lit up and she ran to me, hugging me and exclaiming over how reasonable, wonderful, her nephew Apollo was. I just smiled, sometimes looking at Hades, thinking of the future. A bright future that we would all have a part in. And I couldn't help smiling like Apollo when I thought of the future I was lucky enough to have before me. I wouldn't trade places with anyone else in the world.

And that, readers, is my true story.


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